Reuse Recipe: Guinea Pig Fodder

I have had all kinds of rodent pets over the years. I can't believe that it took me this long to finally try out a Guinea Pig. We got "Hello" for free from a family on Craig's List that had had her for 2 years already.  She is by far the best small animal pet that I have ever had.

Reasons Guinea Pigs make great pets:

1. They NEVER bite. They just don't. My kids have handled her roughly, put fingers in her cage, fed her all kinds of treats -- never a pinch.  They do nibble things a little curiously, but it does not hurt or frighten the kiddos. 
2. They are soft and furry- like a short haired dog. You can brush them and cuddle them
3. They make cute little noises. A whole range of different sounds, from the "whee-whee" that gives them their name to something a little like a purr. 
4. They are too big to get lost very easily and don't run too fast. We used to let ours roam around the basement a little bit... the kids loved playing with her that way, but then she chewed some printer cords.
5. They like healthy veggies - a good example for the kids and fun to feed them. 
6. Rats, mice, turtles, hammies, all have different types of bacteria in their intestines that can be harmful to kids (of course, it is fine if they wash hands carefully etc.),  but guinea pigs are very clean and are unlikely to have any harmful bacteria to transmit to kids. 
7. Since they are herbivores and very clean  - you can use their poop, bedding, etc in the garden!  FREE FERTILIZER!

Each week during the winter I dump the contents of the guinea pig's cage out in one corner of the garden or another.  It works great!  I am a tiny bit concerned that the squirrels spend a lot of time eating Hello's leftover bits of food out of the garden.  I am hoping that it will keep them from eating any of my veggies though.

Guinea pig bedding and hickory nut shell mulch